Unexpected
by bazil99
Summary: The story of Bella's older sister, April, and how she captures the heart of Rosalie Hale. Somewhere along the way, she discovers something extremely unexpected about herself.
1. Chapter 1: A fresh start

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or its universe/characters. I only on my OC.**

 **I'm not going to follow the book word for word, so the dialogue is probably going to be quite different. Also I don't proof read, so sorry for any mistakes.**

 **Chapter 1**

My name is April Swan, and today is the day my younger sister, Bella, and I go to stay with our dad in Forks. Our mother and her current husband are going traveling, leaving my sister and I with no other acceptable option than to move in with our dad. I don't particularly have any issue with this arrangement. I love our dad, and have always found him easier to get along with than our mom. As for my sister and I's relationship, you could say we often don't see eye to eye. I love her, we just have very little in common. Her awkward demeanor has never sat well with me. Of course, I know it's not her fault that she is that way, I just would have thought that me being her sister, and us having grown up together would have made her a little less awkward around me. I barely know her, and in turn, she barely knows me.

"Okay girls, I want you both on your best behaviour while you are with your dad, okay?" Mom pulled us both in for a tight hug.

"I'm always on my best behaviour." I say with a wink as Bella replies, "Yeah, we will."

"Okay, come on ladies, you've got a plane to catch." Phil interrupts after he is finished loading our luggage into the back of his truck.

And so it begins...

* * *

The plane ride luckily was only 2 hours long. If it had been any longer, the awkward atmosphere between Bella and I would have killed me, I'm sure.

"So, are you excited to see dad?" I ask, hoping to fill the silence as we wait to be able to leave the plane.

Bella looks at me with raised eyebrows and stutters out, "Oh, uh, y-yeah. It's been too long." Clearly I'd interrupted her while she was zoning out.

"Sorry," I offer, "didn't mean to startle you."

She simply shakes her head in reply, as if to say she wasn't startled. Which of course wasn't true, but I'll spare her any further embarrassment for the time being. As we step off the plane, I can only pray that this new adventure will see a healthy shift in my relationship with Bella. Maybe we'll finally be able to spend some time together and get to know each other, even if it is seventeen years too late.

"April! Bella!" I hear my dad shout from the railings as we leave the airport.

"Dad!" I yell back, running towards him to give him a long hug. As we let each other go, I motion for Bella to hug him too, seeing that she looks slightly unsure of what to do with herself. Luckily, she understands and goes in for a tentative hug that lasts no longer than two seconds. I guess we'll have to work on that.

"Wow, Bella, you've grown a lot since I last saw you." Dad said softly, leading us towards his cruiser.

"Yeah, um, sorry I didn't come with April last time, I was busy." She says with a shrug. Dad dismisses her apology with a nonchalant wave of his hand and helps us into the car.

"So... they let you drive this all the time? Even off duty?" I ask in an attempt to start up a conversation.

Dad smirks, "I'm the chief, I can do what I want."

I grin cheekily at him, "Oh yes, how could I forget, sir."

We both chuckle, and I reach forward to turn on the radio so that it fills up any silence we may have to endure until we are home.

* * *

"Well girls, here we are." Dad says as we walk up towards the front door.

"Home sweet home." I say fondly.

"Yeah, why don't you girls go and unpack and I'll get dinner ready." He suggests, turning towards the kitchen.

I motion for Bella to lead the way and she nods with a smile. I can tell she's more excited than she's letting off. Dad's laid-back parenting style is something I have always been fond of, and I know she appreciates it too. Our mom is great, it just sometimes feels like she's smothering us.

As I look around at my room, I am filled with an immense sense of calm that I haven't felt since my last visit. Dad's house just feels like home. Mom's house has always been temporary, as this isn't the first time her and Phil have gone traveling. However, Bella and I are older now, and we both felt that it's time we gave our mom some more freedom, and gain some more for ourselves as well.

My room isn't much. It's a bit smaller than Bella's, as she has always had a thing about not being able to sleep on a single bed. I, however, can sleep anywhere. A giant slap of brick could be placed in front of me and I could quite easily find a way to get comfortable enough to drift off. The walls of my room were baby blue and decorated with some monochromatic posters of my favourite bands, films and TV shows.

I didn't have much unpacking to do, seeing as I visited a lot, most of my stuff was already in the wardrobes. After I finished unpacking what little I needed to, I made my way to Bella's room and lent against the doorframe.

"Want some help?" I offer.

Bella just about jumps out of her skin, letting out a loud shriek before turning to me, "Jesus, don't do that." She turns away from me and continues folding her clothes, "I'm good, thanks."

I laugh loudly at her reaction and turn shaking my head.

"What was that?" My dad asks as I enter the kitchen.

I grin, "Just Bella being a wuss."

My dad shakes his head with an amused smile as Bella joins us, "I'm not a wuss, you shouldn't sneak up on people." She responds, taking a seat at the table.

"Alright girls, enough." Dad says, throwing me a wink, "Dig in."

* * *

I awoke with a groan the next day as my alarm went off ridiculously early, signaling it was time for school. I was a little nervous. Given it was halfway through the year and the fact that I wouldn't know anyone. I mean, I don't even know my sister, so there's not much hope in us being able to stick together, especially since she's a year below me.

"Rise and shine, girls!" I sigh at dad's second wake up call before forcing myself out of bed to get ready.

"Okay girls, let's go." He orders once we've all had breakfast, and we follow him outside to see Jacob and Billy waiting for us. I roll my eyes. "Bella you remember Billy Black and his son, Jake, right?" Jacob offers Bella a flirty smile that makes me want to vomit.

"Um, yeah," She responds, "of course."

"Well, anyway, Jacob here fixed up this truck for you both to take to school." Dad says, gesturing towards a run-down pickup truck that was parked on the drive.

Bella's mood immediately picked up. "Oh my God, no way! This is awesome. Thanks, dad." She paused, "and Jacob."

Jacob chuckled, "It's no trouble, Bella."

I watched him stare at her for a moment before clearing my throat, "Yeah thanks guys. Well we're gonna be late so-"

"Jake do you want a ride to school?" Bella interrupted, exciting swinging the driver door open. I roll my eyes, climbing into the passenger seat.

"Oh, no, I go to school on the reservation." Jacob replies apologetically.

Bella sighs sadly, "That's a shame, it would have been nice to know at least one person."

That statement would have hurt if I hadn't been thinking exactly the same thing earlier. "Yeah, what a shame. Bella we really need to head off now." I state, "See you around, Jacob."

* * *

The car ride was once again plagued with uncomfortable silence until we pulled into the school's car park.

"Do you not like Jake or something?" Bella asked.

I sigh, "I barely know him." I offer, not wanting to reveal anything I shouldn't. Spending more time at Charlie's has made me aware of a lot of things that Bella doesn't need to be aware of yet. The most painfully obvious of which is that Jacob only gives a damn about Bella. I know this because he only ever comes to Charlie's on the rare occasions that Bella visits him with me. That, and something else I have yet to figure out. All I know is that Billy Black gives me the creeps, and therefore so does his son by association.

Bella seems to dislike my answer, but I exit the truck before she can ask any more questions. She follows me with an unsatisfied sigh as we go to collect our timetables.

"It's a shame we won't have any classes together." Bella states, although I doubt she really finds it _that_ disappointing. It's not as if my presence in her classes would make her feel any less awkward.

Still, I decide to play along, "Yeah, bummer. But we can still see each other at lunch and what not, if you want." Okay, we really need to get more comfortable with each other, because this is getting ridiculous.

"Yeah, I'd like that, otherwise I'd be sat by my-"

"Hey!" Some guy cuts her off, "you're the new girls, right?"

"Yeah, hi." I respond, shaking his outstretched hand. "I'm April, this is Bella."

"Awesome, I'm on the committee for the school paper, and was wondering if you'd mind being a feature."

I frown at him, "Seriously? Is it really so boring here that two new students are enough to be considered news?"

He offers a small, sheepish smile, "Pretty much."

"Well, I'm afraid I won't be taking part. I'll see you later, Bella. You too, um..."

"Eric." He offers with a smile.

"Okay, see you around, I guess." I shrug, before turning and heading to my first class - English.


	2. Chapter 2: A flirtatious meeting

**Chapter 2**

"Ah, you must be April Swan." My teacher exclaims as I enter the classroom. "Welcome, I'm Miss Reeves."

I look around and see that most other students seem to have arrived, and they were all now silently observing me as I shake the teacher's hand. "Hi." I say simply, hoping I'm not made to introduce myself. Of course, just my luck, that's exactly what I'm made to do.

"Why don't you tell us a fun fact or something?" Miss Reeves suggests.

I sigh and turn to the class, "Hello, my name is April. Fun fact about me is my dad is Chief of Police." I shrug and turn to the teacher for her approval of my brief introduction.

She seems satisfied, "Alright, wonderful. Go and take a seat at the back next to Emmett."

I look towards the back of the room and easily find my assigned seat. The only free seat is next to the buffest guy I have ever seen. If I were into men, I'd definitely swoon.

I take my seat and am unable to interact with my new classmate due to Miss Reeves immediately giving a presentation. However, half way through the class, we are made to do independent work, and it seems Emmett is eager to get to know me as well.

"Chief of Police, eh? You said that to scare aware all of the guys in class didn't you?" Emmett asked, turning to face me.

I smirk at him, "Very perceptive of you."

"Well, I'm Emmett Cullen." He chuckles gives a mock salute.

"Charmed." I say with a soft smile, "You're Carlisle's son?"

He seemed surprised, "Adopted son," He corrects politely, "how'd you know?"

"When I was visiting my dad last summer I fell and hit my head on a wall. Your dad treated me."

"Ah, then you were his first patient here. He came home from work very amused at some of the things you said." Emmett smirked.

My face began to heat up as I remembered the video my dad had made me watch a few days after the fall, "Hey, it wasn't me talking, it was the drugs."

"Sure, so you _aren't_ strangely attracted to Hades from Hercules?" He challenges.

"Certainly not, Meg all the way." I retaliate, standing my ground.

This conversation is proceeded by a minute long staring competition (which I lost) before we both burst into laughter.

"I agree," Emmett said after we'd calmed down, "Meg's a babe."

* * *

My next two classes dragged on, both being subjects I had very little interest in - chemistry and geography. However, my mood immediately brightened when I saw Emmett stood outside my last class.

"Hey," I say with a smile, approaching his locker.

He turns to me and grins, "Hey, you just had geography?"

I roll my eyes, "Unfortunately," I lean against the locker next to his, "What a stupid excuse for a class. I nearly smashed my head against the desk."

He smirked, "You wouldn't want to do that. I'm sure the last thing you want is to crack your head open again and have to see Carlisle. God knows what stupid things you'll blurt out this time."

I glare at him, "Oh dear God. I shouldn't have told you, this is going to be used as blackmail material." He let out a jokingly sinister laugh and closed his locker before someone clearing their throat made us both turn. We were met by two gorgeous girls and a boy almost as handsome as Emmett. One of the girls is quite a bit taller, with gorgeous long, blonde hair. I was really struggling to take my eyes off her.

"Who's this?" The shorter of the two girls asked, skipping over to us with a smile.

Emmett began to speak "This is-"

"April." I interrupted, holding my hand out for the girl to shake, which she did.

"One of the new girls, right? I'm Alice."

"Yeah, one of the new girls." I say softly.

"Well, this is Jasper." She gestures towards the boy, who slightly nods his head in my direction, "and Rosalie." She says, something about her tone seemed to say that she was expecting something to happen after she said this.

I looked towards Rosalie and offered her a smile and a shy wave, slightly intimidated by her beauty as she looked into my eyes. It felt like she was staring straight into my soul. She narrowed her eyes slightly before offering my a small, almost unnoticeable smile. Emmett looked at Rosalie as if she'd grown two heads. Clearly, Rosalie wasn't usually the friendliest of people. I can soon change that.

I turn to Emmett, "Well I'd better go and find Bella before she does something questionable."

He nods, "Is she often doing questionable things."

I let out a laugh, "She's clumsy and awkward, and I can't have her showcasing that on her first day here. I'll see you in gym, I guess?"

"Yup." He replies, and I turn to go, sparing a quick glance at Rosalie, who hasn't stopped looking at me since she got here.

* * *

I enter the cafeteria and am immediately greeted by the sight of my sister walking about like a lost puppy.

"Bella, what are you doing?" I approach her, and she turns to me with a sigh of relief.

"This guy in my class offered to let us sit with him and his friends, and I can't find their table."

"Well, maybe if you actually walked around to look instead of standing by the entrance you might have a better chance of spotting him." I tease, gently pushing her forward.

She lets out a slightly embarrassed chuckle, "Right, sorry." She says before pointing to a table in the centre of the room. _Great_. "There they are."

I follow her unenthusiastically towards the table, "Ooo Bella, hey. Come and sit." A blonde guy says, standing and pulling out a chair for Bella. He goes to do the same for me, but I put my hand up with a smile.

"I got it." I state and sit down next to Bella.

The boy deflates slightly, disappointed at being shot down, but quickly regains himself, "I'm Mike. You must be April."

"That's right."

"Hi, I'm Angela." A cute girl next to Mike says with a smile.

"Jessica," Another girl offers.

I turn to the other occupant at the table and smirk, "Eric, we meet again. Did you manage to get an interview out of Bella?"

He chuckles, "No, not even close."

"Shocker!" I exclaim, and Bella huffs impatiently before something suddenly draws her attention to across the room.

"Who are they?" She asks, and we all follow her gaze.

I smirk when I see Emmett gliding across the room, taking a seat at a table in the corner. "Oh, that's Emmett, why?" The whole table turn to look at me with raised eyebrows, "What? He's in my English class."

Jessica sighs, clearly expecting a more exciting story, "They're the Cullens. An attractive bunch, right?" She smirks at Bella.

I zone out as she fills Bella in, only to be pulled out of my own thoughts by a tugging feeling in my mind that forces me to look towards the entrance. I watch intently as Rosalie enters, walking through the tables like she's on a catwalk. As she walks past our table, her hand lightly brushes my shoulder and a shiver runs down my spine. Once she sits at her table, I let out a breath I wasn't aware I had been holding in, and my heart stops when she looks directly at me. I recollect myself quickly, not wanting her to think I was rude for staring, and offer her a smile. This time, the smile she sends back is most definitely noticeable and had it been any bigger it would have been a full-on grin. We continue to stare at each other until Alice and Jasper take their seats, and she pulls her gaze away from mine to talk to her sister.

"That's Edward Cullen." Jessica states, lust evident in her voice as she turns and looks pointedly at Bella, who seems lovestruck as well, "Don't waste your time. None of the girls here are good enough for him, apparently."

I smirk, "Got rejected, did you?" Bella elbows me softly, trying to stifle a laugh.

Jessica clears her throat, before glaring slightly at me, not responding.

* * *

After lunch, I made my way to my penultimate class of the day, Maths. I struggle to hold in a groan as I check my timetable. It's not that I'm bad at maths, I just find it horrendously boring and unnecessary. However, when I enter the classroom, my internal complaining comes to a holt, as I saw Rosalie sat next to one of the windows.

"April Swan, is it?" The teacher asks, forcing me to look away from Rosalie.

I struggle to suppress a sarcastic tone, "Well, given that I'm the only new student here. I guess that must be me."

Luckily, the teacher doesn't seem to notice the deadpan undertones of my response and lets out a soft chuckle. "I guess it must be, why don't you have a seat next to Rosalie over there." He says, gesturing towards the window. I grin softly and stroll over to the empty seat next to her.

She looks up at me as I approach a ghost of a smile graces her lips.

I throw a crooked smile her way as I pull out my chair, "Looks like you're stuck with me for the rest of the year."

"Oh dear, how will I ever cope?" She replies, I smirk slowly growing on her face.

I turn to face her as she throws me quick glance before opening her book, "Forgive if I'm wrong, but why do I get the impression I'm the first person outside of your family that you've ever interacted with?"

She sighs, before facing me, "You're not wrong. I can't stand anyone here."

I raise an eyebrow at her, "I mean, they're not the most interesting people in the world, I'll give you that." She huffs in agreement, "Whereas I am just brimming with charm and likeability so..."

She chuckles, and it sounds like the most beautiful piece of music I've ever heard, "That has yet to be determined."

I am unable to reply as the teacher begins the lesson, and I spend most of it glancing at Rosalie not paying attention to anything he is saying.

Rosalie has clearly caught on to what I'm doing as she leans towards me slightly and whispers, "You know, you won't stand a chance at the test tomorrow if you don't pay attention."

I quickly turn to face her, "There's a test?" I mutter, panic evident in my voice.

She smirks, "No, I just wanted to make sure your brain was still functioning."

I roll my eyes at her as she rises from her seat and gathers her things, which is my only indication that the lesson is over, making me look around surprised to see most of the class has already left. I follow her out and we are greeted by Emmett waiting for us, a smirk on his face which makes me narrow my eyes at him, "What's with your face?"

His smirk only grows, "A lot of things, now come on, time for me to kick your ass at basketball."

I shake my head at his antics and turn to Rosalie, "See you later then."

She nods, gives us both a wave and turns to walk away.

* * *

"Told you I'd kick your ass." Emmett guffawed as I rolled my eyes, "If you roll your eyes any more they'll get stuck like that."

"Good, then maybe you'd finally get the message." I respond.

"What message?"

"That you're extremely annoying." This only seems to amuse him more.

"Yeah, whatever Swan, you're just butthurt."

I smile softly, "Correct. I don't like losing."

He offers me a pat on the back, "Well, you'd better get used to it." He says as we walk through the entrance of the school towards the car park. My eyes are instantly drawn to Rosalie, who is leaning against an extremely fancy car talking to Alice.

"Is that car yours?" I ask Emmett, who smirks.

"Well, _technically_ , it's just Rosalie's, but she lets us all drive it sometimes." I stare at him, my mouth hanging open, before turning my gaze back to Rosalie, who is now watching Emmett and I approach.

She rolls her eyes, "Emmett, stop with the car talk."

He holds his hands in surrender, "Hey, she asked first."

"Okay then, _both of you_ stop with the car talk."

"But it's so pretty." I coo at the car as Rosalie lets out an exasperated sigh.

"Whatever, come on Emmett, we need to go." Alice speaks up, "Edward needs to talk to us." She steps forward and pulls me into a tight hug, "See you tomorrow, April."

"Yeah, see you tomorrow." I smile, turning to Emmett, "I look forward to our rematch."

He laughs loudly, "As do I, your reaction to losing will always be entertaining."

"Yeah well, you won't be seeing it anymore. I won't be losing again."

"If you say so," he responds and climbs into the car leaving Rosalie and me.

She looks at me with narrowed eyes and pursed lips. "Do I have something on my face?" I question, sporting a raised eyebrow.

She ignores my query and simply turns to get in her car, "See you tomorrow."

She drives away, leaving me extremely confused with her behaviour. "See you." I mutter softly to myself.


	3. Chapter 3: An important decision

**Chapter 3**

 _ **Rosalie's POV**_

"I just don't understand how I didn't see her coming, I mean Bella has been in my visions for months now but April came completely out of nowhere and-"

"Alice, shut the hell up for a minute." I interrupted my extremely distressed sister.

She sighs, "Sorry, I just don't understand. I don't want to you think I kept this from you."

"I'm not mad about it. I'm just surprised." I try to reassure her as we enter our home where Esme is waiting to greet us.

"What's Rosalie not mad about?" Our adopted mother questions as she gives us all a welcoming hug.

"Edward's mate didn't come alone. She has a sister who seems to have made a connection with Rosalie." Emmett explains, sitting on the sofa.

Esme looks at me, a grin beginning to form on her face, "You've met your mate?" She squeals excitedly.

"I don't know if she's my mate or not, I mean I don't feel drawn to her scent at all. In fact, I haven't even noticed the smell of her blood the whole day. Shouldn't I be in the same state that Edward is in?" I ask, joining Emmett on the sofa as we hear Carlisle's car pull into the drive.

"No, not necessarily," Carlisle answers as he comes through the front door, "You might have a different blood singer. They don't always have to be your mate, it's separate. For all we know, Bella is just Edward's blood singer. Since he hasn't interacted with her there is really no way of knowing if she is his mate." He comes to stand behind me, laying a hand on my shoulder, "Aside from not being drawn to her scent, what does she make you feel?"

I let out a long sigh, "I don't know." I answer honestly, "I've never felt as comfortable talking to someone. She's the first human I've had a full conversation with and I could have stayed speaking to her for hours."

"Okay, anything else?" He asks softly.

"Yeah, she's leaving out the part where she wouldn't stop staring at April everytime they were in view of each other," Emmett answered for me with a cackle.

"Yes, thank you, Emmett." I say through gritted teeth.

Carlisle chuckles, "So you feel drawn to her? Maybe not because of her scent but you do feel a need to see her or to be near her?"

"I guess." I say with a shrug and stand to walk towards the back door, "I'm going to hunt."

I could hear Carlisle asking me to stay and continue the conversation, but I had to leave to think for myself. I was being honest with Alice when I said I wasn't mad. I'm definitely not mad. April is charming and beautiful. But she's a human, and if I were to pursue anything with her it would be extremely dangerous. Of course, it's obvious that Edward is going to pursue something with Bella.

"Correct." I was so caught up in my thoughts that I hadn't heard Edward approach, and let out a quiet gasp in surprise. "So, if I'm pursuing Bella regardless, then what more harm could be done by you pursuing your mate? Surely your main priority should be your happiness? We're the not the same as humans, Rose, we only get one mate."

"That doesn't make this situation any less dangerous, Edward. We have our coven's safety to think about." I state, running my hand through my hair.

"You think I don't know that?" He asks angrily. Clearly, I had struck a nerve. Not that I particularly care when what I'm saying is true.

I stalk towards him, "I don't know, Edward. You seem to have decided you're going to start feeding your obsession with Bella very quickly. Excuse me if I don't think the safety of our family crossed your mind while you were coming to that decision."

"You're projecting." He states.

"Excuse me?"

"You're projection." He repeats. "You want to pursue April. You've come to that realisation, but you're afraid of admitting that to yourself because of the family. But you know what I think, Rose?"

"What?" I say, making sure my anger is clear.

"I think it's not the safety of the coven that is worrying you. I think you're scared of the concept of having a mate in the first place. You don't want to be hurt again like Royce hurt you, so you're scared to be with anyone else, human or not." He says his theory, an annoyingly obnoxious smirk on his face.

"Are you trying to call me a coward?" I demand, "you think I've been unable to get over something that happened nearly a century ago?"

He rolls his eyes, "I never called you a coward, Rose. I'm trying to say that there really isn't anything to be afraid of."

"Oh really, Edward? There's nothing to be afraid of?" I question, "and what happens when they find out about us, and fall in love with us, and decide that they want to us to change them so they can be with us forever?" Edward frowns causing me to scoff, "You really haven't thought any of this through, have you?"

"Well, this is why I've decided to go and visit the Denali's so that I have some time to think. You should come." He propositions before taking off in the direction of the house.

I sigh and lean against the nearest tree, taking a few minutes before following Edward back home.

"So, are you coming?" Edward asks as I enter the kitchen.

I shake my head, "You're not going to give you time to think, you're going because if you don't you're going to kill her. Which is why I encourage you to do _a lot_ of thinking."

"What do you mean?"

I groan internally at Edward's dense question, "April isn't my blood singer, and quite frankly I don't have any desire to drink her blood. You nearly killed your human today, and the desire to do so will always be there for you. So, maybe you should consider that before you're in too deep, and come into constant contact with her. You were right about me though, me pursuing April isn't a dangerous prospect at all for now. You pursuing Isabella, however, is _extremely_ dangerous, and I very much believe you should give this more thought than you have." I point out, leaving for the living room.

"Carlisle has a theory on why I didn't see April coming, and why I still can't see her." Alice states.

"Okay, what is it?" I ask.

Carlisle stands from the sofa and purses his lips for a moment before speaking, "I don't think she's entirely human."

* * *

 _ **April's POV**_

"So, how was your first day girls?" Dad asked as we all sat down for dinner.

Bella shrugged, "It was alright, I guess."

"Yeah, it was cool. I made a few friends, I think." I stated, digging into dinner.

Charlie nods with a small, satisfied smile, "Well that's good. Anyone I might know?"

"Is that even a question? Doesn't everyone know everyone here?" I question.

"Okay, fair point. So who are they then?"

I chuckle at my dad's antics, "Just some of Carlisle Cullen's kids."

"Oh, well he's a nice man so I'm sure you could do worse than befriending his kids." Charlie comments.

"Seriously? You're friends with the Cullens?" Bella says, astounded.

I stare at her for a moment, very much confused at the outburst. "Yes... and?"

"Did you not listen to anything Jessica said at lunch? The Cullen's are weird."

"No, I didn't because I've already decided that her input on who's hot or not at the school is irrelevant to who I befriend. Considering today was our first day, I don't think either of us are in any position to pass judgement, and the handful of encounters that I had with the Cullen's today were not at all weird and they were very friendly." I say, hoping that it would shut Bella up for the rest of dinner. Thankfully, she didn't respond and instead continued to eat her dinner guiltily.

Charlie sighed, "Alright girls, that's enough. You can be friends with whoever you want to be friends with as long as they aren't any trouble. So Bella, what are your new friends like?"

"They're fine. Pretty ordinary."

I huff in amusement as Charlie says, "Well, ordinary is good sometimes."

 **AN: So yeah, I've decided to make April not entirely human for the purposes of allowing build for the plot and just to make things more interesting. So stay tuned to find out what she is.**


	4. Chapter 4: A pleasant development

**Chapter 4**

I woke up for my second day at Forks High School feeling excited and slightly nervous, and both of these emotions are caused by one person - Rosalie Hale. I can't tell if she actually likes me or not. She flirted in class and stared at me a lot, but then at the end of the day, she just left abruptly.

"What's up with you this morning?" Bella asked as we got out of the truck and made out way into school.

"Nothing, why?" I respond quietly.

"You just look troubled."

I huff, "Well so do you, so what's up with _you_ this morning?"

"Nothing."

"Well, there we go then." I say, walking away towards my class.

"April! Hey!" I hear Emmett say loudly once I enter the room. I walk towards him with a smile.

"Good morning, Emmett." I say, grinning.

Emmett actually didn't say much today and spent most of class glancing at me occasionally as if he wanted to ask me something. I figured that he'd say what he needed to when he was ready, and so I didn't call him out on it. However, all through lunch was the same. Except, this time, all of the Cullens (aside from Edward, who was nowhere to be seen) were looking at me in turns. When one looked away, another would stare at me. I only stared back when the person looking was Rosalie. She had a strange look on her face like she had 1,000 conflicts going on inside her head. I frowned at her and she quickly looked away, and Alice took over the staring contest I didn't ask to take part in.

"What gives?" I ask Rosalie as I sit beside her during maths.

She sighs, "Nothing, sorry I didn't mean to stare."

I raise an eyebrow at her, "I didn't find it weird that _you_ stared, I found it weird that your whole family stared."

"Well, technically, my whole family includes Esme, Carlise and Edward so they weren't _all-_ "

"Rosalie!" I say, my tone full of frustration. "Just tell me."

"I can't."

"Why not?" I question.

She turns to face me, "I don't even know if you..."

I roll my eyes with impatience, "If I what?"

She hesitates before letting out a heavy sigh, "Come back to my house after school. I'll tell you then."

I look at her, shocked at the sudden request, "You want me to come to your house?" I ask, extremely confused, "We barely know each other."

"Well, this is a good opportunity to change that, and if you don't come then you won't know why I was staring." She says with a small smirk.

I chuckle, "I know why _you_ were staring. Clearly, you find me irresistible and can't bear to _not_ look at me." She rolls her eyes at my cockiness, a small smile gracing her face as if she was about to blush, "Your family, however, confused me."

"Well, if you really want to know then I guess you'll have to come back to mine."

"Okay," I reply, pretending to be nonchalant. In reality, the prospect of getting to know her better was extremely exciting for me. It seems she saw right through my facade, as she looked at me with a beautifully arrogant smirk.

"We'll go in my car, and I'll drive you home later."

* * *

"How does it feel to lose yet again, April?" Emmett said, rubbing salt deep into my wound as we walk towards Rosalie's car.

I glare at him, "Clearly, you're cheating somehow."

He lets out an extremely loud cackle, "Okay, you keep telling yourself that."

Rosalie rolls her eyes, "We are leaving the basketball talk here. If I hear one word about it in my car you can both walk, am I clear?"

I chuckled as Emmett and I both mumble, "Sorry."

"April!" I turn as I hear a new voice to see my sister walking timidly towards us.

"Oh yeah, sorry I forgot to tell you I'm going back to their house so you can just go home, Rosalie will drop me off later." I say, beginning to turn back to Rosalie.

"What? April, can I speak to you for a second?" Bella requests and I sigh before turning back and walking over to her.

I look at her expectantly, "What's up?"

She narrows her eyes at me, "Do you really think this is a good idea?"

"What do you mean?"

"I'm just saying, we don't know them, and we've been warned to stay away." I shake my head in disbelief.

"Bella, as I said yesterday, I couldn't give a damn what Jessica has to say about anyone. Quite frankly, it's obvious she's just butthurt that Edward wasn't interested. I don't know what your deal is, but how is that you go from being all awkward and never speaking to me to thinking you can tell me who I can and can't speak to?" I demand, and she stands in silence, "that's what I thought. I'll see you later." I say, walking back towards the Cullen's who are all looking extremely amused at something.

"So, are you ready to go?" Rosalie asks, running her hand softly down my arm causing me to blush. She glares in the direction of Bella as if she had just heard our conversation, causing me to frown at her.

"Um, yeah, let's go." I say with a smile.

* * *

Given how new and expensive Rosalie's car is, it's no surprise to me when I see their house. It's huge, almost big enough to be considered a mini-mansion. While I wasn't surprised by this, it didn't stop me from admiring the house's beauty. Once I exited Rosalie's car, I couldn't help but stand still staring at the house.

Rosalie snickers, "Would you like me to leave you two alone?"

"Yes please." I say, not looking away from the house.

I can tell she is rolling her eyes, "Come on." She says softly, giving me a gentle shove forwards.

"Ah, you must be April, I'm Rosalie's adopted mother, Esme." A beautiful woman, no older than early 30s greets me as we enter the house. I go to shake her hand but am instead pulled into a tight hug.

"Um, yes. Hi, I'm April." I say, surprised with the sudden contact.

"I'm going to take April upstairs for a bit while we wait for Carlisle to get home." Rosalie says before taking my hand and pulling up the stairs. I look down at our joined hands and blush slightly. Rosalie looks over at me and smirks before leading me into what I can only assume is her bedroom. I had been expecting a very spacious, minimalistic room to match Rosalie's mature personality, but am instead greeted with a very homely room. I assume her's is the smallest bedroom in the house. There's a double bed tucked into the back corner of the room, and a desk on the opposite side with a TV sat on top. The walls are decorated with a small bookshelf and some paintings. Across from the bedroom door, on the free wall, not taken over by paintings or a window or the bed, is another door.

"That's my bathroom." Rosalie says, as if she read my mind.

"Where do you keep all of your clothes?" I asked, confused as to why there wasn't a wardrobe or chest of drawers.

"Oh, Alice and I share a walk in wardrobe. It's next door and Alice's room is on the other side." She explains, sitting down on her bed. "Come and sit." She says, patting the space next to her.

I walk and flop down very ungracefully next to her and she chuckles.

"Okay then, you promised you'd tell me if I came, and here I am." I say facing her.

"Later, when Carlisle gets home. Until then I also said we would get to know each other, so let's just talk." She says softly and we both lean against the headrest.

"Okay, well what's your favourite colour?"

She looks unimpressed, "Really? That's what you want to know?"

"Just answer the question, Rosalie."

She huffs, "Dark purple, what's yours?"

I smirk, "Really? That's what you want to know?" I mimic her, earning me a light smack on the shoulder. "Yellow."

She pulls a face, "That's unexpected. I pegged you as a lover of dark colours."

"Rosalie, you've seen me wearing two outfits so far, and they include the only black items of clothing that I own. I'm actually a very colourful person." She looks unimpressed again, "If you're not then that's not a bad thing. Opposites attract, so they say." I wink at her, and she laughs lightly.

"Okay, what kind of music do you like?" She questions softly.

"I like a lot of genres. The songs I tend to like the most are the ones that make me feel sad. I know that sounds odd, but that's how I know when something is good. It's the same with movies or TV shows. If it can make me cry or make me question life or make me feel a little bit depressed then it's done its job for me."

"I get that. Although I have many genres I don't care for." Rosalie begins, "but I love instrumental music. I've always had a thing for jazz." She says, a ghost of a smile on her lips, and she looks into the distance as if she's remembering something.

I look at her for a moment before grabbing her hand and responding softly, "Jazz is good."

 **AN: Next chapter, April will get some more insight into who Rosalie is and why the Cullens seem so intrigued with her.**


	5. Chapter 5: An unexpected answer

**AN: Someone has asked what April looks like so I'm just going to describe what I envisioned her to look like (however feel free to picture her to look the way you envision her to look like). To me, she doesn't really look anything like Bella at all aside from having a similar hair colour. I always picture her to look like a younger version of Amy Acker (Root from 'Person of Interest') - Long brown hair (slightly reddish in certain light), greenish or hazel eyes, very bright smile and fairly tall (I'd say she'd only be an inch or two smaller than Rosalie).**

 **Chapter 5**

"Carlisle is home." Rosalie says after a moment, standing and walking towards the door before turning back to face me, "come on."

I quickly shuffle off the bed and follow her out of the room and down the stairs where we are greeted by the rest of the Cullens (excluding Edward). Carlisle turns to look in my direction and narrows his eyes at me before his face breaks out into a grin and he chuckles, "Well it's nice to see you again, Miss Swan. I see you've fully recovered."

Emmett lets out a laugh as I begin to blush, "Yes, thank you."

"Oh my God!" Alice suddenly exclaims making me jump, "You're the girl who listed all of the Disney characters she would sleep with when she was high on painkillers?!" She continues before bursting into laughter.

"Oh, sweet Jesus," I mutter, my blush intensifying.

Carlisle chuckles again, "Alright, that's enough teasing. Why don't we all sit down?" He looks pointedly at Alice and Emmett while gesturing to the sofas, "we have a lot to discuss."

We all make our way towards the sofas and sit down, with Rosalie of course sitting beside me, and everyone looks at me expectedly.

"Oh, am I starting?" I ask, confused, and they all continue to stae at me, "okay... I'd like to know why you were all watching me eat my lunch earlier as if I was eating a TV remote."

"A TV remote?" Emmett echoes, one of his eyebrows raised.

"You know... as if I was being weird or as if you thought I was about to do something questionable." I elaborate.

Carlisle sighs, "Before that can be answered, we need to tell you something about our family. It's going to sound crazy to you, but we need you to believe us because it is the only way I can answer your question, okay?"

I nod, "Fire away."

There is a long pause that lasts around 30 seconds when suddenly Emmett groans impatiently before stating, "We're vampires."

An extremely intense, anxious atmosphere envelops the room as the whole family looks at me nervously. I am unsure of how to react. It certainly would explain a few things; the superhuman beauty; the extremely pale skin; the fact that I have yet to see them eat anything at lunch; the fact that they just moved here recently because vampires don't age so they can't stay in one place forever; the fact that they seem to be able to stare at me for ages without blinking. That being said, aren't vampires nocturnal? Don't they have fangs?

I turn to look at Rosalie and she raises her eyebrows as if she's afraid I'm angry at her. I let my eyes take in her entire appearance, observing any detail of her face and skin that I can see.

After a moment, I let my hand reach up to run across her cheek, "I must admit, I've just now realised how cold your skin is". She looks at me confused as I let my hand fall into my lap before continuing, "I suppose it sort of makes sense but..." I stop myself from continuing, knowing that if I were to finish my sentence I'd only end up looking stupid.

"But what?" Carlisle asks gently.

I sigh, "I don't know, you're just not exactly like the vampires I've read about before."

"What? No fangs or a house full of coffins." Emmett says jokingly.

"Well, yeah, I mean... Don't vampires sleep during the day and live in old, haunted, creepy houses with only candles to provide light?"

"No, April." Carlisle answers, "At least not in this day and age. Similarly to any creature, vampires have sort of evolved over the centuries."

I sit silently for a moment, attempting to take in this information without freaking out too much, before a realisation hits me, "Please don't take offense when I ask this, but I can't help but jump to this conclusion." They all look at me with concerned looks, "Are you going to kill me? Is that why you were all staring at me?"

"What?! No! No, no, no, no, no." Rosalie suddenly blurts out, turning her entire body to face me.

I narrow my eyes at her, "Then why-"

"We don't drink human blood." Carlisle explains, "I promise we aren't going to hurt you." He reassures me softly.

I let out a small sigh of relief before looking at Rosalie apologetically, "Sorry."

She smiles at me, although it seems more like a grimace, "It's okay, we should have said the bit about not drinking from humans first."

I chuckle, "Yeah, you might want to lead with that next time." The tension that was present a few moments ago had slightly died down, "well if you aren't going to kill me then what has this got to do with me?"

Carlisle leans forward in his chair, "Well... we're vampires so that means that we usually can smell everyone's blood. We don't always want to drink it but we can definitely smell it." I look at him questioningly, feeling even more confused than I did before, "The thing is, and I noticed this as soon as I walked through the door, we can't really smell your blood at all. I knew you would be here when I got home but when I walked through the door I assumed there'd been a change of plans. Rosalie said after she first met you that she was surprised she hadn't been at all affected by your blood and doesn't even think she smelt it at all."

"Well, what does that even mean?" I question, slightly scared of what his answer will be.

He observes me for a moment, perhaps just judging how I'm taking everything so far, before he asks, "Have you ever felt like you were different? Or do you know of anything in your past that might indicate to you that there is something different about you?"

"What do you mean by 'different'?" I respond, very confused as to what he's getting at.

There is another long pause before he finally states, "I mean not entirely human."

I stare at him for what seems like hours trying to grasp exactly what it is that he just said. There is no way he could actually be serious. "Wait... what?"

"I realise that this seems like an odd suggestion for me to make, but I am struggling to find any other explanation." Carlisle justifies.

I take a very deep breath before looking towards Rosalie, "what do you think about this?" I ask, not at all accusingly or angry. I just need her assurance.

Her eyes soften and she takes my hand, giving it a light squeeze, "I don't think there is another reasonable explanation either, April." I nod slowly, unsure of what to say, "are you sure there's nothing you can think of that might help explain something?"

"Well, no I don't-" I begin, before something suddenly pops into my head, "Oh wait..."

"What?" Alice asks, finally joining the conversation out of curiosity. I'd actually almost forgotten that there was anyone here besides myself, Rosalie and Carlisle.

"Well, it's just... I said this to Bella the other day and I don't even know if has anything to do with this but... maybe?"

"What is it?" Carlisle persists gently.

"My dad is best friends with a man named Billy Black." As soon as his name leaves my mouth, the tense atmosphere from earlier returns and I let out a huff, "Yeah, to be honest, he gives me the creeps as well."

"What do you mean? In what way?" Rosalie demands, her teeth slightly gritted.

I shrug, "I don't know, just everytime he comes round he always looks at me funny. Like how you guys did at lunch only way worse. So does his son. It's as if they are confused by my presence there. Like they know something I don't and they keep trying to tell me with their eyes. But then sometimes they just glare at me. I don't get it." I say, running my hands over my fave, slightly frustrated.

I feel Rosalie's hand rest on my thigh reassuringly as Carlisle comments, "That is quite odd."

Rosalie purses her lips, as if debating with herself internally before looking at Carlise and beginning, "You don't think-"

"No," He calmly shuts down whatever she was about to say, "We would be able to smell it on her if that was the case."

I narrow my eyes at his words, "If what was the case?"

Carlisle smile apologetically at me, "I'm sorry, but the answer to that question will have to wait a while as it's not my place to say. However, rest assured you shouldn't let it concern you as what Rosalie was wondering isn't true, in fact, I'd say its impossible." He looks back and forth between myself and Rosalie reassuringly before stating, "If it's okay with you April, I'd like to look into this further with you. Not right now, I'll give you a few days to let all of this information sink in, but I do think it is important that we figure this out."

"Yeah, of course," I say shakily, my head hurting slightly from receiving all of this confusing information.

Rosalie takes my hand softly, pulling us both to our feet, "Come on, I'll take you home."


	6. Chapter 6: A tense interaction

**Chapter 6**

The car ride home was filled with a tense silence for the most part. It wasn't until we were around the corner from my house that Rosalie finally turned her attention to me instead of glaring at the road. She pulled onto the pavement and turned to face me.

"Um, this isn't my street," I say softly, finding the atmosphere extremely intimidating.

Rosalie gives me a small smile that seems extremely forced, "I know, I can't take you any closer because the wol- I mean the Quileutes are at your house."

I frown at her, "The who?"

"Billy Black and someone else." She says through gritted teeth, "They aren't particularly fond of me or my family and they will know it's me if they see my car."

"Oh," I nod in understanding, "that's fine I can walk from here."

"We can always just stay here and hope that they leave soon. I know you don't want to have to talk to them." She suggests, a small smirk crossing her face.

I very nearly accepted her offer, but think better of it, "As much as I'd like to avoid them, I'm sure my dad is expecting me home soon, and they could be there for ages." I smile apologetically and lean over to give her a goodbye hug, fully aware of my heart rate speeding up at the contact, and I'm sure she hears it too as she lets out a soft giggle.

"I'll wait here until you're inside," she reassures me as I get out of the car and I turn and grin at her as she softly says, "Goodnight, April."

"Goodnight," I reply, "do you even sleep?"

She chuckles, "You got me there. No, I don't."

I reply by sending her a pitiful smile and shut the car door. I take slow paces towards my house and pray that Billy and his plus one miraculously leave before I make it to my drive. Of course, with my luck, that doesn't happen and I walk inside to be greeted by the smell of beer and, for some reason, wet dog. Charlie looks up from his spot on the sofa at my entrance and smiles.

"Hey, dad." I greet him with a warm smile, turning towards the stairs in an attempt to make a quick escape.

"April, come here a second." Charlie requests and I let out a sigh, plastering on a fake smile before turning and entering the living room. "This is Harry Clearwater, a friend of mine."

"Hello," I say quietly to the man who, unsurprisingly, is looking at me in a similar fashion to how Billy always looks at me. It takes a lot of restraint for me to not question them both on their rude staring habits.

"Hello, young lady," Harry greets me stiffly, "I've heard a lot about you." He says, his eyes and tone seem to be hinting something at me as if he expects me to know what he's talking about.

I narrow my eyes at him slightly before regaining composure with a smile, "Well it was nice meeting you but I'm quite tired and need some food."

"Did you have a good time at the Cullen's, April?" Charlie asks, and I try not to roll my eyes at his attempt to stall me. I don't fail to notice how Billy and Harry tense at the mention of the Cullens, and now their usual stares have turned into glares and I must say I prefer it this way. At least now I'm not confused as to what they are thinking when they look at me.

I look at my dad and smile sweetly, "I did, they're all really nice." Billy huffs at my response, and I send a small glare at him.

Charlie seems entirely unaware of this small interaction and says, "Good, I'm glad you've made some friends."

"Just be careful, April," Billy suddenly interjects, "Don't want you getting mixed up with the wrong crowd."

I look at him questioningly, "No disrespect, but what business is it of yours who I hang around with?"

"I know the Cullens, and I know that there are far more suitable people for you to get acquainted with in this town." He states.

I let out a short laugh, and feel my body heat up in anger, "Well thanks, but I think I'll take my chances with them. So far they are the only tolerable people I've met here. Now if you'll excuse me..." I say, speed walking into the kitchen before my temper gets the better of me. My body immediately cools down and I even out my breathing which was on the brink of becoming very fast-paced and heavy. I yank open the fridge and pull out some cheese before making myself a sandwich. After a moment of eating at the table, I hear Billy state that he and Harry are ready to head off and I let out a sigh of relief.

After seeing them off, Charlie enters the kitchen and takes a seat across from me, "I understand that you like the Cullens, but please try to be less standoff-ish next time. He didn't mean anything by it."

I look at him incredulously, "Of course he meant something by it, dad. He implied that the Cullens aren't good people, which they are. I get that he's your friend, but that doesn't mean he gets to butt his nose into my business. I barely know him and so far he hasn't given me a reason to want to get to know him. Goodnight, dad." I say, placing my plate in the sink and leaving to go to bed.

After changing and washing up, I flop extremely ungracefully onto my bed, completely exhausted from the number of emotions I've had to feel throughout the day. After laying there for a few minutes, I feel my consciousness start to slip, and just as I'm about to fall into sweet slumber I hear a knock on my door.

I sigh heavily and lift myself into a sitting position, "Come in."

My bedroom door opens slowly as if whoever it is doesn't want to disturb me, despite the fact that they already have. "Sorry, I just wanted to check you were alright," Bella says as she pops her head around the door.

"Why wouldn't I be alright?" I question, already knowing her answer.

"I was just worried about you being with the Cullens alone, that's all."

I groan at her pathetic reply, "Well, as you can see, they returned me home in one piece."

She sighs, "Listen, I-"

"What is your problem with them?" I demand, "You barely know them, in fact, you barely know anyone in this town since we literally just got here and don't think I haven't seen you staring at Edward during lunch."

She stands somewhat speechless at my sudden outburst, "I-I have not been staring at anyone." Is all she says before turning and leaving my room. I roll my eyes at her attitude and, once again, flop back onto my bed and let sleep take over.


	7. Chapter 7: A deeper connection

**AN: I'm sorry that updates have slowed a bit recently because of assignments but at the end of this month I will hopefully have the time to update a bit more regularly.**

 **Chapter 7**

"Hey Carlisle wants you to come over today after school," Rosalie says as I take my seat beside her at our desk, "Is that okay?"

"Carlisle wants me to come over?" I ask with a smirk as Rosalie eyes me suspiciously, "Just Carlisle?"

She rolls her eyes with a smile, "I figured my pleasure at your prolonged company went without saying." I couldn't help but blush slightly at her choice of words and she notices and grins to herself.

"Can I ask you something?" I pose, turning towards Rosalie as she looks questioningly at me, "What are your thoughts on the Edward and Bella situation?"

Rosalie sighs and turns her gaze out of the window, "Edward is playing a very dangerous game and I gave him fair warning, so if this blossoming relationship between the two of them ends up dooming the family then this is me saying I told him so," she turns back to face me, "I mean, he already said this morning that he plans on interacting with her." A scowl rests on her face and I use my thumb and forefinger to push her lips up into a smile. She responds with a soft glare and gently swats my hand away while keeping a small smile on her face. "You never answered my question," She says softly, "Are you coming over?"

"Yes, I will come over," I respond as the teacher enters the room and I lower my volume before continuing, "Why is it dangerous for Edward and Bella but not for us?"

Rosalie exhales, "His situation is different to mine."

"What situation?" I ask with a frown.

"I'll explain at home, okay?" She reassures me, "It's a longer conversation than we have the time for right now."

I am satisfied with the promise and turn my attention to the front of the class where the teacher is introducing the day's topic.

* * *

"You're going to their house again?" Bella runs up and asks as Emmett and I are making our way towards Rosalie's car at the end of the day. Emmett walks ahead of us as I stop and face my sister.

I sigh, "Listen, if you ever actually take the time to get to know any of them you will see that they are good people and that Jessica knows nothing about them."

"I know, I didn't ask in an accusing way, I just wanted to be sure so I could tell Charlie." I raise my eyebrows at her, "I have actually spoken to Edward a little bit today and he seems, um, nice?"

"Are you asking me or telling me?" I tease.

"He seems nice, so I guess the others must be too."

I smile softly, "Yeah, well to tell you the truth I don't know Edward as well as the others, but you're right, they are nice," an awkward silence hangs between us for a moment before I decide to put us both out of our misery, "anyway, they are waiting for me so I guess I'll see you later."

Bella nods and gives me a shy wave before walking towards her truck.

"Let's roll!" I yell excitedly as I climb into the passenger seat of Rosalie's beautiful, beautiful car.

Rosalie smirks softly, "You seem more excited to see the car than to see me."

I give an extremely sincere look and state, "That's because I am." Of course, this earns me a scoff and a light smack on the arm.

After a few minutes of comfortable silence from everyone in the car, Alice leans forward from her seat in the back and says, "I just want to make sure that you are aware Carlisle wants to see you to get started on tests." I did know this, of course, but there is a part of me that strongly hopes I will be able to spend a bit of private time with Rosalie. I turn and nod in Alice's direction before letting out a small sigh.

Rosalie frowns slightly, "You're not worried, are you?"

"No, just still wrapping my head around everything, I guess." I reassure her, although I can tell she isn't convinced as her frown becomes bigger.

"Carlisle won't make you do anything you don't want to do, and I can stay with you if that would make you feel better," Rosalie assures me as we turn onto the Cullen's drive. I send her a grateful smile and exit the car.

We are all immediately greeted by Esme as we enter the house, and she informs us that Carlisle will be home in a couple of hours. This puts me at ease, as I realise that I can spend that time with Rosalie and get more relaxed before doing the tests.

"Come on, April." Rosalie takes my hand as she did last time, but this time she guides me out to the back garden rather than to her room. We don't stop at the garden, however, she takes me the edge of the grass before turning to me.

"What are we doing?" I ask.

"I thought a walk might be nice," She states, letting go of my hand and placing hers on both of my shoulders, gently pushing me to walk forwards towards a path leading to the surrounding forest, "This way my family can't eavesdrop on our conversations." I chuckle at her antics, but continue to walk as she retakes my hand.

After around 10 minutes of walking and chatting I finally prompt, "So the _situation_ you were going to tell me about?"

She doesn't respond for a moment until we come to a small intersection of paths where a large tree sits in the middle. Rosalie guide me over to the tree and sits with her back up against it, patting the spot beside her.

I join her, of course, and she turns to face me with a look of determination, "The situation is that you're my mate, and I don't mean mate as in friend. Vampires all have one person that they are destined to meet and have a strong connection with. Bella is Edward's mate too, we assume."

My heart flutters at this concept for us and I find that I'm not entirely surprised, given that it has been confirmed that I am the only non-Cullen Rosalie is able to tolerate. However, her statement still doesn't answer my original question, "Okay, but I still don't understand why that could be dangerous for them but not us."

"Bella isn't just his mate. She is his blood-singer." She says, teeth slightly gritted.

I frown at her darkened mood, "What does that mean?" I ask softly.

"It means that Bella and my family are now in danger. Edward is drawn to her blood a lot more than he normally is with humans, which means there is always a chance that he will lose control and kill her. If that were to happen, it would put us in danger of being exposed which would make us punishable."

I stare at her, stunned at what she had just told me. She looks back at me, concerned that she was too graphic, and gently takes my hand.

"Bella said that she spoke with Edward today and that it was a positive experience." I say, in the hopes that this would reassure both of our fears.

Rosalie nods her head a little, "Well I just hope for all of our sakes that their interactions are all positive experiences." I can tell she is joking slightly, as I know Bella hasn't left the best impression on her so far so she is somewhat hopeful that her relationship with Edward will go no further.

"When you said that your family would become punishable, what did you mean?" I wonder, a chill running down my spine at the possibilities of what that could mean.

She simply sighs and states, "That's a tale for another time, I think," noticing my disappointment she adds, "It's a very long-winded story, with a lot of history involved, and I'm not the best person to tell it. Carlisle can tell you a lot more than I can, but only when the time is right, which it isn't."

While I am still filled with curiosity, I accept her answer with a sharp nod and lean my head onto her shoulder. We remain in this position for another 20 minutes, with her drawing circles on the back of my hand with her thumb as we sit in a comfortable and relaxing silence, before Rosalie suggests we head back to the house.

* * *

"I thought you might be hungry after the walk so I made you some pasta," Esme states with a satisfied grin as we enter the house.

I smile gratefully at her, "Thank you, that sounds lovely."

I sit at the kitchen counter and begin eating the delicious food while Esme and Rosalie clean the dishes. While I eat, I take the time to really observe Rosalie for the first time. She is, of course, stunningly beautiful, that is the first thing I noticed about her, and I'm sure it is the first thing a lot of people notice. However, most people are probably too intimidated to _really_ look at her like this. Her posture is unwavering, as if she is afraid to relax and let her guard down, even in her own home where she is surrounded by people she considers family. The main thing I notice is her eyes. I believe the reason people find it so difficult to look at her for this long is because they are afraid to see what I can see - deep sadness. Rosalie is, without a doubt, the saddest woman I have ever met, and yet she is also the most beautiful, inside and out. It is at this moment that I decide to make it my mission to eliminate her sadness, and to get her to feel at ease with the people who love her.

"April!" A pair of fingers snap in front of my eyes and I turn and see Alice who presents me with a knowing smirk, "Hurry and finish your food. Carlisle is home and is waiting in his office for you."

I sigh anxiously. _And so it begins._


	8. Chapter 8: An exciting prospect

**AN: Okay, so maybe I should stop promising regular updates, because I have underestimated how little free time I actually have. I apologise for keeping you all waiting.**

 **Slight TRIGGER WARNING as I will be mentioning blood tests and using needles.**

 **Chapter 8**

"Ah, April, come on in and take a seat." Carlisle greets me as I enter his office, "I just want you to know that there is no need to be nervous. For today all I'm going to do is ask you a couple of questions and take a blood sample."

"Oh, okay, well what will the blood sample show?" I ask, finding this whole experience to be quite fascinating.

"Hopefully, it will show me that you aren't human. If you are a shifter, which is the most likely result, then this blood sample will help me get a more accurate estimate of which species you can shift into," He explains as he prepares the needle.

"A shifter?" I echo, unsure of what that really means beside the obvious.

"A shapeshifter," He elaborates, "They are species that have a certain animal that they can shift into. Their shift usually occurs during there teenage years, so it is still a very possible occurence for you," He presses the needle to my arm, "You'll feel a pinch."

I wince slightly as the needle pierces my skin and Carlisle gives an apologetic smile. Thankfully, the extraction only lasts a few seconds.

I look at Carlisle curiously for a moment, astonished by his control, "How do you cope with having a job that requires you to work with blood? Were you a doctor before you turned?"

"No, I chose this profession after turning. Once I realised that I could survive by only drinking animal blood, it became much easier for me to maintain control of my thirst around humans. During my first century, I found that I had a lot of free time, especially with having no need for sleep, so I began studying medicine. I suppose you could say I was slightly overenthusiastic compared to most when it came to my studies, but I was able to pass the time and now I get to help people without worrying about losing control."

It was amazing to hear about this aspect of his life. I know that he has so many more interesting stories, but as much as I want to hear them, now isn't the time.

Carlisle finishes storing my blood sample and turns to me, "I'll examine that later, for now I want to ask you some questions, if you don't mind."

"Of course." I instantly reply.

He smiles appreciatively and takes a seat across from me, "Okay, from what I know of shifters, their animal feeds off their anger. By that I mean, if you are a shifter, then you will most likely shift for the first couple times when something triggers anger within you. With that in mind, can you tell me what you feel when you get angry?"

I ponder his question for a moment, stunned at this revelation, as my recent run-ins with anger have felt a lot more intense than any I've had prior.

"Recently, when something has made me angry, the feeling has taken over my whole body to the point where I need to lean onto something and I start to feel extremely hot. I would catagorise it more as rage than anger, and this has only been a recent development. Does that mean my first shift is going to happen soon?" I ask nervously, feeling extremely unprepared for the shift.

"Quite possibly, although I will admit the only shifters I have ever encountered have been wolves, and based on your scent I would guess you aren't a wolf. That means, a lot of what we find during these sessions will lead to a lot of guessing. I can't say for sure when your first shift will come, and I therefore don't know what the signs are for certain, but your recent experiences of anger would suggest that your first shift is nearing." He says softly as he jots down some notes, "This question may not help with finding any certain answers, but it is something that I am curious about when it comes to shifters, so this is just a theory I have. Is there any particular animal that you feel a connection with?"

"Yes, actually," I begin, slightly shocked that this connection might indicate what I will shift into, "when I was 12 my parents took my sister and I to the zoo. I was desperate to see the cats. I spent most of my childhood begging my parents to get a cat, I think they are the most elegant species on the planet. While we were seeing the lions I felt a huge vibration run through my body and I asked my parents if they felt it but they said they didn't feel anything. I turned around to find a gorgeous panther staring right at me. Once I saw it, I realised that the vibration I had felt was its purring. I walked over to its enclosure and it walked towards me and sat down directly in front of me, literally no more than 3 meters away from me. We had maintained eye contact the whole time. It felt like I was stood there with it for ages, but it must have only been a minute or two before my family came over and the panther backed off." I lift the sleeve of my shirt to show Carlisle a tattoo that I had of the panther's face, "Its eyes were mesmorising, I couldn't bring myself to look away."

Carlisle leans over for a closer look at the tattoo, "Well, that would certainly be a possible indicator for what you may shift into."

"All I know is that you turning into a panther would be so badass," A deep voice says from the doorway, making me jump. I turn and see Emmett and Rosalie stood by the now open office door.

"Yes, it certainly would. As I said though, this is only a theory that I have. Your connection may just be a connection but if my theory is right then that would be one impressive shift to witness." Carlisle states, his excitement clear in his voice, "Well, I think that's enough for today. I want to get on with examining the blood sample, so I think you two should make yourself scarce and entertain our guest while I work." He says to Emmett and Rosalie, who nod and gesture for me to follow them out. I smile at Carlisle as I leave, and reach to take the hand that Rosalie has stretched out for me.


End file.
